Chapter 18: Led by Bae Joo-hyun

Xiao Guang drove out, not because he wanted to, but because after Bae Joo-hyun finished breakfast and threw a tantrum, she had dragged him to the truck and pointed at the steering wheel.

As for where they were going, Bae Joo-hyun didn't say, and even if she had, Xiao Guang probably wouldn't have understood; after all, she could only manage "ah-ah-ah" sounds now.

Xiao Guang didn't drive fast. At every intersection, if Bae Joo-hyun stayed silent, he would drive straight. If she made a sound, he would turn. If he turned the wrong way, he would just keep listening to her directions until he corrected it.

As he drove, Xiao Guang realized a problem: how did he end up at the SBS building in Mok-dong? He circled the building; there were quite a few zombies here, but judging by their sluggish movements, they didn't seem to have fully mutated.

Bae Joo-hyun remained silent, so Xiao Guang could only keep circling the broadcasting center. Come to think of it, he didn't know why he had come, but he was certain it had something to do with the broadcast Bae Joo-hyun had heard yesterday.

He stole a few glances at Bae Joo-hyun. She sat upright, her eyes fixed on the SBS building. Finally, after five laps, she stretched out her finger and pointed at the door at the base of the building.

"Ah~~"

Understood. Just going over there, right? Xiao Guang drove to the back entrance. He checked the number of zombies around the vehicle—four in total. Not a big problem. He pulled the handbrake, put on his helmet, and looked at Bae Joo-hyun.

"Ah~~~"

Bae Joo-hyun’s red eyes narrowed, and Xiao Guang froze. What was he doing? Why was he "ah-ing" back at her? He wasn't a zombie. Honestly, he was being influenced by her.

"Are we getting out here? I guess you’re looking for a friend. Is it Seulgi, or Joy?"

He pushed open the door, used his baseball bat to shove away a zombie that had curiously come to investigate, and gave a male zombie in a partial suit a good thwack. Don't think I'm scared of you just because you have a big belly.

The *thud-thud* sound echoed off the male zombie's balding head. The zombie immediately opened its mouth and roared. Xiao Guang shoved the bat right into its mouth. Keep yelling, just try it, see if I don't crack your skull open.

"Ah~~"

Hearing Bae Joo-hyun’s voice, Xiao Guang turned his head. He saw her holding the doorknob, looking a bit dazed. Generally, zombies don't know how to open doors, but seeing Bae Joo-hyun do it, Xiao Guang felt he could understand; after all, even cats and dogs could be trained.

Even though he hadn't taught her, she must have learned by watching him.

***

How miserable!

The walls of the corridor leading in from the back door were covered in bloodstains. The long, bloody handprints seemed to show where someone had once struggled desperately. Many corpses lay on the ground; some were completely blackened, while others were already swarming with insects.

"Ugh, what are we even doing here? Where are we going?"

Xiao Guang leaned on his bat, frowning at Bae Joo-hyun. She didn't seem to hear him and walked straight ahead. Xiao Guang could only follow. The further they went, the more tragic the scene became.

Radio staff with lanyards still hanging around their necks, young men and women in full makeup—Xiao Guang looked closely and recognized a few faces he had seen on television.

Now, they just lay randomly in corners, or stared with broken limbs and glassy eyes. They were dead—all of them dead. For a moment, Xiao Guang couldn't process it. He knew that when humans were infected by the virus, they changed, and he knew that out of fear, normal humans would fight back.

Panic is an emotion that spreads easily in a confined environment. Seeing the hellish state of the building, Xiao Guang finally had a clearer understanding of the apocalypse he was living in.

He had actually been living in a bubble, separated from the apocalypse, never truly experiencing the panic and tragedy from three months ago when the virus first invaded.

Following Bae Joo-hyun, they descended one floor via the stairs. Xiao Guang regretted not wearing a mask. The stench snaked through the gaps in his helmet, making him squint.

"Ah~~"

Bae Joo-hyun stopped in front of a double door. She looked back at Xiao Guang. He looked at the sign for the studio hall above the door. Was this the place? He nodded to Bae Joo-hyun, gestured for her to stand aside, and carefully pulled one of the doors open.

There weren't many zombies inside, which relieved Xiao Guang. He had been terrified that thousands of zombies would look up at him the moment he opened the door—just thinking about that scene was horrifying. He walked in slowly, checking the work uniforms of the wandering zombies—labels for lighting, props, and the like.

"There are no artists here. I guess there was no recording."

He spoke to Bae Joo-hyun and stepped aside. Bae Joo-hyun walked into the studio hall and continued forward. Xiao Guang could only follow, swatting away the dirty hands reaching out to her. Don't look at how black your own hands are—what are you touching?

There were many dressing rooms backstage. Xiao Guang had just opened one when he was tackled to the ground. Damn it, there was a fully mutated zombie in the dressing room. Fortunately, he had put on his gear before leaving; the bite on his arm didn't break through.

He swung the baseball bat at its head. Once—*bang!* Twice—*bang!* Three times—*splat!* See if you dare to be cocky and bite people again. Seeing the zombie collapse and its legs start to twitch, Xiao Guang stopped.

He used the bat to nudge the zombie's head to get a look. Oh, he knew this one. What was his name? Park Myung-soo, wasn't it? A host.

Ugly guy. Dead is dead. He had zero sympathy. He turned to look at Bae Joo-hyun.

"Are you asking me to search for your friends? Aren't they on the signs on the doors? If I have to push open every single room like this, and they're all like that, I'm afraid I won't have the stamina."

"Ah~~"

Such a heartless "ah." Seeing Bae Joo-hyun's small finger pointing toward the second room, Xiao Guang could only shake the blood off his bat, walk over, and carefully push the door open.

"Roar~~~"

It sounded quite terrifying. Three zombies huddled tightly against the wall furthest from the door. Seeing it open, they roared at Xiao Guang with wide-open mouths. Xiao Guang turned to Bae Joo-hyun.

"Let’s get this straight: if you want me to save a male idol, it’s definitely not happening. Unless I’m mistaken, these are members of iKON."

"Ah~~"

Bae Joo-hyun pointed her small finger at the third door. Xiao Guang looked at the three zombies by the wall and waved his bat as a farewell, only to hear them stand up and roar again.

There was no sound in the third room, only the corpses of two female idols sprawled on the floor. Looking at the curves of their backs, Xiao Guang couldn't recognize who they were, but Bae Joo-hyun stared at their backs for a few seconds, pausing in place.

There were people in the fourth room. One fully mutated zombie was killed by Xiao Guang in three swings, leaving four teenage girl zombies standing in place, looking at Xiao Guang with utter terror.

It was definitely a look of terror; Xiao Guang hadn't misread it. They couldn't have just popped their eyes out from surprise. Looking at the miserable state of the girls, Xiao Guang couldn't help but sigh. They were all beautiful children with dreams, and he never expected them to end up like this.

He backed out and closed the door. He didn't need Bae Joo-hyun to point the way anymore; Xiao Guang simply accelerated his pace, checking room after room.

"If I remember correctly, IZ*ONE has twelve members. Including the manager, there should be at least twenty people in these rooms. Should we go to the next one?"

Looking at the IZ*ONE sign on the door, Xiao Guang hesitated. He leaned against the door to listen, but there was no sound inside.

The quieter it was, the more worried Xiao Guang became. That was how the infected zombies were: wandering slowly on the street, but perfectly still in rooms—just like how Bae Joo-hyun used to stare blankly at the wall at the very beginning.

But if he pushed the door open, they would all seem to activate in an instant. The group IZ*ONE, if nothing else, definitely had enough people.

"Ah~"

Bae Joo-hyun pointed firmly at the dressing room door. Xiao Guang looked at her expression and sighed. He didn't know who she was looking for or what she was doing.